The Bangles

TOTP 22 JUN 1989

Posted on by 80stastic

Simon Mayo and Gary Davies are our hosts for tonight’s TOTP and they seem to spend the majority of the show in very close proximity to each other (almost leaning into each other’s necks at one point) and start the show by brandishing their bare legs together. I think it was to make a point that the Summer of 1989 was a hot one but if they were trying to promote themselves as the new Wham! they failed dismally.

Opening the show tonight are Living In A Box with the title track of their second and final album “Gatecrashing”. It must have been a lean week for booking acts as they’d only moved up two places from No 39 to No 37 and yet still managed to bag themselves a studio appearance. The extra exposure made little difference as the single moved up just one place the following week before tumbling out of the Top 40 altogether. In its defence, it was probably doomed from the start. It was initially scheduled for an April release to consolidate on the success of previous Top 10 single “Blow The House Down” but had to be pulled after the Hillsborough disaster (in their hometown of Sheffield) due to its unfortunate title. By the time an acceptable amount of weeks had been deemed to have passed, all momentum had been lost. That’s one theory. Mine is that it wasn’t much cop as a song in the first place.

Undeterred, the band would return with their joint biggest hit ever later in the year, the polished ballad “Room In Your Heart”.

Next the last great Bond theme in my opinion. Licence To Kill was the second and final film to feature Timothy Dalton as 007 and Gladys Knight‘s theme tune has all the classic hallmarks of a Bond song. Yes, that’s probably because it was based on the horn parts from the Goldfinger theme but for me that doesn’t detract from it and it deserves a high place in the list of Best Bond songs ever. I’m assuming there is one….

*checks internet*

…OK, I found this list from Esquire magazine which ranks all 24 James Bond tunes (including the latest by Billie Eilish) and “Licence To Kill” comes in at No 13. Respectable but I would have thought it would be higher. “Live And Let Die” is of course No 1.

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/g26729930/james-bond-theme-songs-ranked/

Maybe I just an old giffer but some of the songs that have been recorded by today’s artists just don’t even sound like Bond themes to me. Even when I was a younger man and the likes of Madonna, Sheryl Crow, Tina Turner and Garbage took on the chalice, I didn’t like any of them either. So that for me is why Gladys Knight (sans pips) remains the last great Bond song. You are free to disagree of course.

“Licence To Kill” peaked at No 6.

Simon Mayo goes all intellectual next when he makes reference to Italian film maker Federico Fellini and his movie La strada whilst introducing the new video from U2. Bloody pseud! Anyway, the video is to promote “All I Want Is You” which was the fourth and final single to be released from their “Rattle And Hum” album and was probably the best of the four in my opinion.

Supposedly written about his wife, the quiet verses are Bono talking to her whilst the guitar refrains (which are archetypal The Edge creations) at the end of the verses are her reactions. Bloody pseud!

The video (which barely features the band) caused some debate amongst the band’s fans as to who is supposed to have died at the culmination of it. The dwarf or the trapeze artist. You’ll have to watch it yourself to form your own opinion*

“All I Want” peaked at No 4 making it the second highest placed single of the four released from the album.

*Spoiler alert! The Edge is quoted as saying it is the trapeze artist who dies.

Ooh! The Bangles are live in the studio! After being on video for every one of their TOTP appearances for “Eternal Flame” of which there were many, they have finally made it to London to perform follow up single “Be With You”. Despite not being on lead vocals for this one, Susannah Hoffs still manages to steal the limelight in her sparkly mini dress.

This was pretty much their last single release as a band first time around (they split in 1989 before a reunion in 1998). Their discography tells me that there was one final single released from the “Everything” album called “I’ll Set You Free” but it did nothing and was not really anything more than a goodbye to the fans. Talking of which, it is now time to say goodbye to The Bangles in this blog as I don’t think we’ll be seeing them again. Thanks for everything!

Clannad and Bono next with “In A Lifetime” and its one of those studio performances intercut with parts of the video appearances. This seemed to be a family thing with Clannad as that format was used previously for sibling and one time band member Enya when they combined her sat at the piano in the studio with her official promo for “Orinoco Flow”. Back then I assume it was either because the show’s producers thought Enya on her own would be too boring or because her record label wanted to get the most for their money out of the rather expensive looking video. Or both.

In the case of Bono and Clannad, I think it was just because Bono was too busy to join the folksters in the studio so they had to shoehorn him in via the video otherwise it would have looked weird. Which raises the question of why didn’t they just show the video again anyway? What did having Clannad in there in person add to the performance? I may be being harsh here but they don’t look the most exciting thing I’ve ever seen on stage. That said, Maire Brennan does have very piercing eyes.

Over the course of this blog, I’ve found many examples where a song taken from a film soundtrack has ended up being far more enduring than the film itself. Off the top of my head there’s “Against All Odds” and “Together In Electric Dreams”. I’m sure there are others. In the case of Prince and the very first Batman film (if you discount the film made out of the Adam West TV series), it’s a case of the opposite I’m afraid. I could never understand the appeal of “Batdance”. It doesn’t even sound like a cohesive song in that it seems to be a load of riffs, grooves and bits of film dialogue all spliced together and just shoved out there to promote the film rather than being a properly composed song. It doesn’t even feature in the film itself.

Oh yes, the film. Starring Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as The Joker, the hype around it was enormous but for me it was just about justified and certainly the movie did the business at the box office taking in over $250 million in America alone. It didn’t come out in the UK until August, so long after “Batdance” had been and gone. Given the interpretations of The Joker that have come since (Joaquin Phoenix and Heath Ledger for two), it seems strange now to think that we were all in awe of Nicholson’s rather cartoonish portrayal.

Despite being a No 2 in the UK and a No 1 in the US, I’m guessing that “Batdance” is not one of Prince’s most fondly remembered tunes, not even by diehard fans, and only features on the most comprehensive of his compilation albums.

In the long running serial of rappers with not very ‘in the hood’ real names, we have another entry in Rapper KG Demo of the London Rhyme Syndicate who D-Mob collaborate with on  “It Is Time To Get Funky” who are up next. The name he was given at birth? Basil Reynolds.

I hated this track then and I still hate it now. Bloody rubbish as my Dad would say. And yes, I do realise I have actually become my Dad when talking about today’s music as that’s bloody rubbish as well.

“It Is Time To Get Funky” peaked at No 9 (somehow).

The Beautiful South released a total of 34 singles over the course of their career but only achieved one No 1 record  – there should have been many more including this their debut “Song For Whoever” that fell just short at No 2. Paul Heaton’s vocals are so distinctive. I can’t imagine anyone could ever have impersonated him on Stars In Their Eyes for example.

*checks to make sure*

WHAT! Someone did in 1997 singing “One Last Love Song”. I can’t find a clip on YouTube but I can only assume it sounded nothing like him!

Someone who rarely gets any accolades for his voice is fellow band member Dave Hemingway whose vocals I have always found to be very pure and perfectly pitched.

There’s a great video compilation of their first ten or so singles called “The Pumpkin” that I used to own on VHS that included some very funny bits in between the songs that’s well worth looking out for. My own personal Beautiful South claim to fame is that I used to work with bassist Sean Welch’s partner up until recently. I think he’s into photography now.

Top 10

10. Madonna – “Express Yourself” 

9. Guns N’ Roses – “Sweet Child O’ Mine”

8. The Beautiful South – “Song For Whoever”

7. Cyndi Lauper – “I Drove All Night”

6. Cliff Richard – “The Best Of Me”

5. U2 – “All I Want Is You”

4. Sinitta – “Right Back Where We Started From”

3. Prince – “Batdance”

2. Jason Donovan – “Sealed With A Kiss”

1. Soul II Soul – “Back To Life”: They’ve knocked Jason Donovan off his perch (no mean feat in 1989) and are set for a long Summer of  ‘A happy face, a thumpin’ bass, for a lovin’ race!’.

The iconic ‘Back to life, back to reality’ line was used as the inspiration by the aforementioned Paul Heaton to base one of his songs around, the rather wonderful “My Book” whose lyrics  include ‘Back to bed, back to reality’. Sadly it only made No 43 in the charts unlike Soul II Soul’s blockbuster of a tune.

The play out video is that weird combo of Placido Domingo and Jennifer Rush with “Till I Loved You”. I thought I recognised the song title but not the pairing of Domingo and Rush (almost Liverpool’s front line in the 80s there) so I checked it out. I was right! A version was also recorded and released by another bizarre duo, this time Barbara Streisand and Don Johnson (yes Miami Vice‘s Don Johnson).

Hang on…Wikipedia says then girlfriend Barbara Streisand. Don Johnson went out with Barbara Streisand?! I never knew that!

Order of appearance Artist Song Did I Buy it?

1

 Living In A Box Gatecrashing Nah

2

 Gladys Knight Licence Top Kill Don’t think I did

3

 U2 All I Want No

4

 The Bangles Be With You No but I assume it’s on their Best Of album which I have

5

 Clannad and Bono In A Lifetime No but I think my wife bought it first time around in 1986

6

 Prince Batdance Nope

7

 D-Mob It Is Time To Get Funky Negative

8

 Beautiful South Song For Whoever No but I had the album it was from

9

 Soul II Soul Back To Life No but I think my wife had their album

10

 Placido Domingo and Jennifer Rush ‘Till I Loved You NO

Disclaimer

OK – here’s the thing – the TOTP episodes are only available on iPlayer for a limited amount of time so the link to the programme below only works for about another month so you’ll have to work fast if you want to catch the whole show.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000gx1t/top-of-the-pops-22061989

I make no claim to the rights of this show and all ownership and contents including logos and graphics belongs totally to the BBC or copyright holder(s).

All opinions on the music and artists featured are my own. Sorry if you don’t agree.

Some bed time reading?

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http://likepunkneverhappened.blogspot.com/2019/06/june-14-27-1989.html

 

 

TOTP 15 JUN 1989

Posted on by 80stastic

The middle of June 1989 saw me cacking my pants about what I was going to do when I finally left the life of a student I’d blissfully been living for the past three years. The end was now very nigh. Someone else possibly cacking his pants was Simon Parkin as he made his TOTP presenting debut alongside Mark Goodier. Simon Parkin….was he one of the ‘broom cupboard’ people on Children’s BBC alongside the likes of Philip Schofield, Andy Crane and Andi Peters? I think he was. The only thing I really remember him for though was being the brunt of a jokey Steve Wright jingle that went “I wanted to be Simon Parkin but I wasn’t Simon Parkin enough” in a deranged mid Atlantic drawl. It wasn’t that funny but then neither is Steve Wright.

Back to the music though and first up are Fuzzbox riding the crest of their own personal wave with “Pink Sunshine”. Lead singer Vix has decided that what she really needs to make a point on tonight’s performance is a massive fucking pin that she’s wields around the stage. You could mistake it for a mike stand at first glance but it definitely has a point to it. Ahem. And….they did release a single called “What’s The Point” earlier in their career….oh this is pointless….

At the end of the song, Goodier says that there is a rumour that there will be a cartoon series based on the band. I have trawled the net but cannot find any reference to this anywhere. It reminded me that there was a story that Haircut 100 were going to have their own Monkees style TV show when they were the latest pop sensation but that never happened either although they did get their own comic strip in Look-In magazine which my younger sister used to buy. Bizarrely though, years later there was a BBC3 show called Fuzzbox which featured a cast of delinquent puppets voiced by real teenagers.

“Pink Sunshine” peaked at No 14.

Quite a moment next as REM make their TOTP debut with their first ever UK Top 40 hit “Orange Crush”. My chart obsessed ways of the early to mid 80s had meant that REM had not been on my radar at all before I came to Polytechnic. However, once there, I was introduced to them by a guy on my course called Roy who I would go onto share a house with when he played me “Fall On Me” from their “Lifes Rich Pageant” album and their 1983 debut single “Radio Free Europe”. By the time “Orange Crush” was out, I was also aware of the trio of intermediate near miss singles – “The One I Love”, “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” and “Finest Worksong” – all taken from their fifth studio album “Document”.

The release of sixth album “Green” saw the band fulfil their contact with I.R.S. Records and decamp to major label Warner Bros amid accusations of selling out from their fan base. The sales of the album seemed to justify their decision though as it went platinum in the UK easily beating the numbers of previous album “Document”. “Orange Crush” was the only Top 40 hit to be taken from it though in this country. I actually liked follow up single “Stand” better but then I’d  become very familiar with it as my girlfriend (now wife)’s flat mate used to play it very loudly whenever she was annoyed about something.

And what was “Orange Crush” all about?  Well it wasn’t about an orange flavored soft drink as the hapless Simon Parkin would have us believe (“Mmm, great on a summer’s day. That’s Orange Crush.”). No it was about the Agent Orange, a chemical used by the US to defoliate the Vietnamese jungle during the Vietnam War. I had no idea but Roy knew. He always was more of a deep thinker than me.

“Green’ would pave the way for REM to become the biggest band on the planet for a while when 1991 follow up album “Out Of Time” went five times platinum shifting a million and a half copies in the UK alone. “Orange Crush” peaked at No 28.

Parkin’s not having the best of TOTP debuts. At the end of the next song “Joy And Pain” by Donna Allen, he says “great song and a nice hat too… that’s Donna S…Allen!”. Clearly he was going to say Summer but caught himself at the last moment. As for Allen herself, I haven’t got a lot to say about her really. I barely remember the song and it sounds pretty soporific to me. Apparently it was actually a cover of a 1980 track by the confusingly titled soul group Maze. Confusingly? How? Well, they are known as Maze but also Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly and sometimes even Frankie Beverly & Maze. Good job they weren’t on the show. Simon Parkin couldn’t distinguish between Donna Allen and Donna Summer – imagine the mess he would have made of Maze / Frankie Beverly!

Three Breakers this week starting with The Bangles and the follow up to their monster hit “Eternal Flame”. It was always going to be hard to eclipse such a huge smash but “Be With You” made a particularly poor fist of it being a No 23 and No 30 placed song in the UK and US charts respectively. It’s a serviceable mid tempo pop song but for me it doesn’t have any of the stardust of say “Manic Monday” nor the kookiness of “Walk Like An Egyptian”. The middle eight bit sounds a bit like Madonna’s “Dear Jessie” and therefore like it doesn’t really belong in the same song at all.

It was co-written by drummer Debbi Peterson who also takes on the lead vocals, only the second time this ever happened on a single release (the other being their cover of “Going Down To Liverpool” by Katrina and the Waves). “Be With You” was also their last single release of the 80s as the band split soon after before reforming  in 1998.

Hang on. Wasn’t this one out in 1986 or something like that? What was it doing back in the charts in 1989? Well, it’s a pretty simple explanation as “In A Lifetime” by Clannad and Bono had indeed been a hit in early ’86 (I was right!) when it was originally released from the album “Macalla” peaking at No 20. However , it was re-released three years later to promote Clannad’s first Best Of collection called “Pastpresent”. when it made it to a peak three places higher at No 17. Simples.

According to Clannad’s vocalist Maire Brennan, Bono “just walked in the studio and improvised his vocal in two takes, making up a lot of lyrics on the spot. The whole thing took about ten minutes. It was one of the most remarkable things I’ve ever seen in a studio.”

I always quite liked this (although I don’t remember it being a hit all over gain in ’89). When I worked in Our Price a few years later we would have specialist music mornings during weekdays so one day it would be jazz, the next easy listening etc. The times “Pastpresent” would get routinely shoved on when it was folk morning….

Right, what the devil is going on here? Jennifer Rush and Plácido Domingo? Together? On the same record? What the..? Yes, this unlikely duo recorded “Till I Loved You” for a musical about the life of Spanish artist Francisco Goya called Goya: A Life in Song though it was never staged. That probably explains the artist and live model set up for the video concept  I guess. The part where it looks like Plácido appears to be about to get down and dirty with Ms Rush prompts one of the few semi-funny lines Mark Goodier ever made on TOTP when he quips “Well, lucky old Jennifer eh?”.

It turns out that Plácido also recorded this with Dione Warwick and a Spanish-language version with Gloria Estefan – the old dog.

Here comes trouble….Double Trouble and the Rebel MC to be precise with their hit “Just Keep Rockin”.  Actually, apart from that rather lame intro, I haven’t got much else to say about this one. However, check out Mark Goodier’s energetic moves as the camera cuts back to him as the song finishes! Parkin on the other hand looks totally furtive. ‘Should I be dancing? What if I dance and I look like a git?’ you can almost hear him thinking.

“Just Keep Rockin” peaked at No 11.

Parkin then attempts to make himself appear interesting by starting a debate about how to pronounce Cyndi Lauper‘s surname correctly, advising us that it used to be ‘Lawper’ but now it’s ‘Lowper’ (as in ‘Ow! That f*****g hurt!). What?! I don’t recall there being any big debate about this. I mean, it’s hardly up there with the the whole David Bowie argument* of “Boh-wee”(to rhyme with Joey) or “Bow-ee” (to rhyme with Towie) is it? Or is it? I found this on YouTube….

…well now you know. Anyway, Cyndi was up to No 8 in the charts with “I Drove All Night” which would also be her last UK chart hit of the decade. She would return to our Top 10 one final time in 1994 with “Hey Now” which was an alternate version of her debut hit “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”.

*We all know the answer to this one don’t we but if not watch this…

This next performance by Sinitta of “Right Back Where We Started From” is pure pantomime. That ridiculous sombrero style hat and those over eager, cut off denim wearing backing singers doing the Brotherhood Of Man thumbs in the waistline dance…it looked retro even back then in that it seemed more appropriate for the mid 80s era of the show when a party atmosphere was promoted by the TOTP producers.

A Smash Hits interview with Sinitta ran around this time with the headline ‘I’m bigger than Kylie’ and she was right. Sinitta is 5’4” while Kylie is 5’0”.

Top 10

10. Neneh Cherry – “Manchild”

9. Donna Summer – “I Don’t Wanna Get Hurt”

8. Cyndi Lauper – “I Drove All Night”

7. Natalie Cole – “Miss You Like Crazy”

6. Guns N’ Roses – “Sweet Child O’ Mine”

5. Madonna – “Express Yourself”

4. Sinitta – “Right Back Where We Started From”

3. Soull II Soul – “Back To Life”

2. Cliff Richard – “The Best Of Me”

1. Jason Donovan – “Sealed With A Kiss”: A second and final week at the top for Jase. This was peak era Donovan in that I don’t think he was ever bigger in the UK than at this moment….and then he left Neighbours and the spell was broken. Without the daily exposure that the soap brought him it all started to fade. Sure, the hits kept coming for a while (including an unlikely No 1 two years later with “Any Dream Will Do” from Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat) but really his popularity started to drift as the last days of the decade played out. His hits into 1990 were far smaller with his final Top 40 hit limping to No 26 in 1992. But for now…

The play out video is “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty. Almost unbelievably this was Tom’s biggest ever UK hit despite only just piercing the Top 30 at a peak of No 28. Did I find it quite so unbelievable at the time? Probably not as I didn’t actually know that much about Tom Petty. I knew his 1985 single “Don’t Come Around Here No More” from listening to the American chart show on a Saturday afternoon with Paul Gambaccini which I learnt years later after reading his autobiography was co-written by Dave Stewart form Eurythmics. I also knew that he was one of The Travelling Wilburys but of Tom’s 70s career with his band The Heartbreakers I knew virtually nothing though I have since discovered it.

“I Won’t Back Down” was from nominally his first solo album “Full Moon Fever” although many of The Heartbreakers played on it and indeed this track was co-written with fellow Wilbury Jeff Lynne. The song was in the news again in 2015 when it was revealed that a royalties agreement had been reached between Petty and Lynne with the singer Sam Smith over the similarities between “I Won’t Back Down” and Smith’s massive hit “Stay With Me”. Apparently it was all very amicable but you can hear the influence of Petty’s song on Smith’s I think.

The Sam Smith case could easily have been proceeded by a much earlier one in my book…. One of Tom’s best known songs must be his 1976 release “American Girl” (despite only peaking at No 40 in the UK). Years later, one of my musical heroes Pete Wylie recorded a song called “Spare A Thought” which appeared as the B-side of his single “Diamond Girl”. I was struck by the similarities between the two. Have a reminder of Tom’s tune…

…then listen to Pete’s…

What do you think?

Order of appearance Artist Song Did I Buy it?

1

 Fuzzbox Pink Sunshine No but I easily could have

2

 REM Orange Crush No but my friend Roy had the “Green” album

3

 Donna Allen Joy And Pain Nope

4

 The Bangles Be With You No but I assume it’s on their Best Of album which I have

5

 Clannad and Bono In A Lifetime No but I think my wife bought it first time around in 1986

6

 Placido Domingo and Jennifer Rush ‘Till I Loved You NO

7

 Double Trouble and the Rebel MC Just Keep Rockin’ Nah

8

 Cyndi Lauper I Drove All Night I did not

9

 Sinitta Right Back Where We Started From Of course not

10

 Jason Donovan Sealed With A Kiss No but my younger sister was obsessed and had his album

11

 Tom Petty I Won’t Back Down No but it’s on his Best Of album which I have

Disclaimer

OK – here’s the thing – the TOTP episodes are only available on iPlayer for a limited amount of time so the link to the programme below only works for about another month so you’ll have to work fast if you want to catch the whole show.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000gx1r/top-of-the-pops-15061989

I make no claim to the rights of this show and all ownership and contents including logos and graphics belongs totally to the BBC or copyright holder(s).

All opinions on the music and artists featured are my own. Sorry if you don’t agree.

Some bed time reading?

32146678525_ccbd7eafb2_n

 

http://likepunkneverhappened.blogspot.com/2019/06/june-14-27-1989.html

TOTP 04 MAY 1989

Posted on by 80stastic

We’ve moved into May 1989 and the new month has brought with it a new host in Jennie Powell. No it wasn’t Peter ‘Hello Mate’ Powell’s younger sister but the up and coming presenter who had made her name on Jonathan King’s BBC2 music show No Limits. For her debut on TOTP she has been paired with another relative newbie in Andy Crane who starts the show in a majorly creepy way by proclaiming “Lots of pretty ladies on the show tonight and making her debut  is one of them” as he points at Jennie. Eeewww!

Anyway, the first act on tonight are also making their TOTP debut and they are Edelweiss with “Bring Me Edelweiss”. This lot were completely bat shit! I know there had been a lot of inexplicable stuff in the charts around this time from the likes of London Boys and The Reynolds Girls but this outfit took it to another level entirely. Hailing from Austria, Edelweiss came up with a sound that could only be described as ‘yodel house’. Supposedly following the template set out in the KLF book The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way) which was published in the wake of their 1988 No 1 record as The Timelords, this bunch of alpine nuts sampled ABBA’s “SOS” and Indeep’s “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life” to create a huge hit all around Europe.

Their performance here is pure pantomime including lots of thigh slapping (and even some arse slapping!) and lots of cliched ‘traditional’ Austrian costumes. Look, they could have done something much more credible with a sample of an old pop song. There was even a contemporary example in the charts they could have taken inspiration from in “I Beg Your Pardon” by Kon Kan. Instead all they did was add to the tradition of novelty records. Never mind following KLF’s template, Edelweiss created their own blueprint for a hit record that was followed by the likes of Rednex in the mid 90s with “Cotton Eye Joe”.

“Bring Me Edelweiss” peaked at No 5.

1989 saw the UK’s fascination with all things Australian continue at a pace with Kylie and Jason, INXS, Neighbours and new soap Home And Away all capturing our attention. We can add to that list Midnight Oil whose “Beds Are Burning” single went Top 10 in the UK. 

Taken from the album “Diesel And Dust”, I always quite liked their follow up single “The Dead Heart” as well but it seemed our Aussie preoccupation didn’t quite extend to bestowing a second Top 40 hit on the band as it stalled at No 62. The album itself shifted some decent numbers over her though being certified Gold and peaking at No 19 in the album charts. The band are still together to this day with new material expected at some point in 2020.

Debbie Gibson now with a very energetic performance that seems to be all about a very choreographed dance routine rather than the actual song which was “Electric Youth” (the title track from her second album). Debbie isn’t even going through the motions of pretending that she s singing this live as she dashes headlong through some nifty steps and arm waving all in perfect synchronization with her two backing dancers.

The song was supposedly about empowering the younger generation and ensuring they were heard but the lyrics were a bit oblique to say the least talking about ‘zappin’ it to ya’ and ‘the future only belongs to the future itself’. Eh?

In a Billboard magazine interview in 2014, this is what Debbie had to say about how she came up with the song:

“I never really put any thought into coming up with it. Literally, it, and the song, dropped in and I looked up to the sky, waved and said ‘thank you! To me, that’s how anything inspired comes. If you and your thinking get out of the way, the universe provides what is supposed to be and it comes on through.”

Well quite. That explains that then. As for me, I felt it was listenable but it was all a little bit too forced and frenetic – on reflection, the whole thing  was bloody exhausting.

“Electric Youth” peaked at No 14 over here and No 11 in the US.

OK – we enter huge power ballad territory next with “I’ll Be There For You” by Bon Jovi. The third single to be lifted from their “New Jersey” album which I bought (no, you can do one!) it stands up as a towering epic of the genre for me. Yes it’s lyrics are pure corn and it’s very self knowing in terms of what it was trying to do but for me it had an authenticity that contemporaries like Poison and Def Leppard didn’t. It’s also well constructed with just the right amount of lead in before that monster of a chorus. The no frills basic performance video is pretty dull though. I’ve seen some fans make comments on YouTube arguing that guitarist Richie Sambora should have been promoted from backing to lead vocals for best results on this track. Apparently this has happened on occasion when the band have performed it live.

Not unexpectedly, it was a much bigger hit in a rock obsessed America (a No 1 no less) than the house music enthralled UK where it clambered to a peak of No 18.

Next an act who never seemed to get much credit for their achievements and who never really got away from the naff tag. Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle had been established stars in their native Sweden in their own right before they were put together X Factor style by the head of their record label to form Roxette. Success was limited initially to their own country but a chance occurrence led to “The Look” being picked up on a local Minneapolis  radio station where its popularity led to an official national release in the US. It would go onto become a No 1 record over there. With that American success inevitably came a UK release which resulted in a peak position of No 7 over here.

I quite liked it at the time. It had enough interesting elements and hooks to draw me in and was a definite ear worm. Arriving at the very end of the decade meant that the majority of their success would come in the 90s but they quite often seem to be referred to as an 80s act it seems to me. Certainly “The Look” is still (quite legitimately) played on the likes of Absolute 80s radio.

And those achievements? Well, whatever you think of their sound and style, they sold 60 million records and had four US No 1 hit singles. “Dressed For Success” indeed.

The Kylie Minogue bandwagon thunders on with the release of “Hand On Your Heart” that would become, at the time, her third No 1 song (including her duet with Jason Donovan). It was pretty much business as usual in terms of the single’s sound as well with “Hand On Your Heart” very much a Stock, Aitken and Waterman production. Her performance here is peak 80s Kylie but who had the better moves / routine on this particular show? Kylie or Debbie Gibson? I’m going Kylie.

The single sounded  a bit twee to me and I was quite dismissive of it at the time. However, the 2012  re-working of it is for her “The Abbey Road Sessions” album certainly is different and  gives a whole new dimension to the song.

Ah, the aforementioned Poison are back on the show again with “Your Mama Don’t Dance”. Viewed in close proximity to Bon Jovi, this seems even more awful than it did the other week which is saying something.

Both bands’ lead singers have pursued acting careers in addition to their music ones – Jon Bon Jovi has appeared in TV shows such as The West Wing, Ally McBeal, 30 Rock and Sex And The City as well as starring in films alongside the likes of Whoopi Goldberg and Gwyneth Paltrow. Poison’s Brett Michaels’ most recent film role was in Sharknado 5: Global Swarming. Just saying.

Relax! It’s not an American  jazz fusion band! That’s Weather Report. No this is Live Report – a totally different thing altogether though perhaps not necessarily any better. This lot of no marks were our entry for the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest  with a track called “Why Do I Always Get It Wrong” and not as Andy Crane says  ‘Why Does Everything I Do Go Wrong’. One job Crane, one job.

Now I do remember this one as after the previous year’s contest’s nail biting finale, myself and a few friends made sure that we booked in to watch the whole shebang again. It didn’t quite live up to expectations as despite Live Report coming a very respectable second, the awarding of winners Yugoslavia just one point by the German panel in the penultimate round of voting meant the UK could have got two lots of maximum points and still would have not won. Also, the song was a right dirge, a sort of crappier version of “No More The Fool” by Elkie Brooks if that were possible.

Top 10

10. Fine Young Cannibals – “Good Thing”

9. Midnight Oil – “Beds Are Burning”

8. Beatmasters featuring Merlin – “Who’s In The House”

7. Natalie Cole – “Miss You Like Crazy”

6. Holly Johnson – “Americanos”

5. London Boys – “Requiem”

4. Transvision Vamp – “Baby I Don’t Care”

3. Simply Red – “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”

2. Kylie Minogue – “Hand On Your Heart”

1. The Bangles – “Eternal Flame”: Last week at the top for this one. It had a chart run of 20 weeks in total and was still in the UK Top 40 (at No 38) as late as June 17 at which point the single was deleted to clear the way for follow up single “Be With You”. That got me thinking about other examples of huge hits having to be deleted by the record label as they wanted to get the artist’s next single out. I’m sure there must be loads but I couldn’t come up with any specifically. Wet Wet Wet’s 15 week chart topper  “Love Is All Around” was famously discontinued by the band themselves as they were sick off it but it wasn’t to clear the decks for a new single. Did that other never ending No 1 “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” by Bryan Adams have to be deleted so that they could release “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started” to promote his new album “Waking Up the Neighbours”? Somebody out there will no doubt know.

The play out video is “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan. Why was this 1978 dance classic back in the charts? Apparently it was re-released to promote Chaka’s “Life Is a Dance: The Remix Project” album which took tracks originally recorded between 1978 and 1984 and remixed them in the style of the day (i.e. they added a horrid house music back beat to them). It seemed to work though as “I’m Every Woman” (remixed by someone called Dancin’ Danny D) got all the way to No 8 in the UK charts.

I watched an interview with Simon Le Bon once when he said he really liked “I’m Every Woman” because he originally though the lyrics said ‘climb every woman’. Dirty sod!

Order of appearance Artist Song Did I buy it?

1

 Edelweiss Bring Me Edelweiss Please no

2

 Midnight Oil Beds Are Burning Thought I did but I didn’t apparently

3

 Debbie Gibson Electric Youth No

4

 Bon Jovi I’ll BE There For You No but I had the album “New Jersey”

5

 Roxette The Look Nope

6

 Kylie Minogue Hand On Your Heart Nah

7

 Poison Your Mama Don’t Dance Very poor – no

8

 Live Report Why Do I Always Get It Wrong Hell no

9

 The Bangles Eternal Flame Presume it’s on their Best Of CD that I have

10

 Chaka Khan I’m Every Woman (’89 Remix) I did not

Disclaimer

OK – here’s the thing – the TOTP episodes are only available on iPlayer for a limited amount of time so the link to the programme below only works for about another month so you’ll have to work fast if you want to catch the whole show.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000g6lj/top-of-the-pops-04051989

I make no claim to the rights of this show and all ownership and contents including logos and graphics belongs totally to the BBC or copyright holder(s).

All opinions on the music and artists featured are my own. Sorry if you don’t agree.

Some bed time reading?

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http://likepunkneverhappened.blogspot.com/2019/05/may-3-16-1989.html

TOTP 27 APR 1989

Posted on by 80stastic

The day before this particular TOTP aired, Paul Gascoigne scored his very first international goal against Albania. Within 18 months amid scenes of ‘Gazzamania’, he would be a chart star appearing on TOTP with his version of “Fog On The Tyne”. They were truly strange times. Back to April ’89 though and we’ve returned to the single presenter format that we saw a couple of shows ago. This time the solo host is Gary Davies and again there is no Breakers section. To emphasize his solitariness, Gary has got two female audience members to stand with him on the gantry and even gives them some lines. Lazy sod!

Whatever, the first act tonight are London Boys with “Requiem”. Now if we thought the performance of “Male Stripper” by Man To Man meets Man Parrish a couple of years previous was daring, these two guys were just putting it all out there straight from the get go. The outfits! A decision about which specific market to appeal to had clearly been made!

There is a fan website dedicated to them my research revealed and it says that they sold 4.5 million records which seems unbelievable. It also revealed that they made four albums of this stuff! And what does the website say about the music itself? Well it says this….

“London Boys music is very optimistic upbeat Eurodisco at its best, with a roots going to back to High Energy Disco. People who like Modern Talking, Bad Boys Blue, Joy, Silent Circle and other similar bands are sure will not be left indifferent to its appeal.”

Hmm. Not sure I was part of that market that they were trying to reach. I thought it was all a gimmick at the time in that the record company had just found two guys who could high kick and back flip to promote a one off song. Did they even sing on the record? Four albums and a career that lasted six years before their tragic demise seems to suggest I may have got that wrong.

A huge ballad incoming! Natalie Cole’s last hit (“I Live For Your Love”) had also been a big old sentimental love song but if anything “Miss You Like Crazy” was an even more epic example of the genre. Coming from the pen of the songwriting team that included Gerry Goffin and that were responsible for “Saving All My Love For You” and “Greatest Love Of All”, it was always going to be one of those tracks designed to tug at the heart strings and wring every drop of emotion out of the listener. It pretty much succeeds in its objective I think being a serviceable ballad (although I doubt ‘serviceable’ is the adjective the songwriters would have hoped for when writing the song).

“Miss You Like Crazy” proved to be Natalie’s biggest UK hit peaking at No 2 and was also a Top 10 song in the US.

A Breaker last week but worthy of a studio appearance now are De La Soul with “Me Myself And I”. In a 2016 retrospective of their career, The Guardian described the trio as having ‘allied an Afrocentric, boho bent with a nerdy, recording room exuberance’ to create their sound. I’m not sure about any of that but as Gary Davies rightly said, “Me Myself And I” was a knock out song.

However, if you want to check out the track and its parent album “3 Feet High And Rising” on Spotify  you’ll be disappointed. Apparently it all to do with the many samples that they used in creating their songs. – there are more than 70 on “3 Feet High and Rising” alone. Their record label secured clearance for most (but not all) of them in 1989 but their technology crystal ball was misfiring and they failed to predict the rise of the internet and online services so their contracts on those early albums said specifically ‘vinyl and cassette’. Oops! “Say No Go” indeed.

Fine Young Cannibals with “Good Thing” next and the cut away intro means that it’s just a re-showing of the last studio performance clip. Maybe they were busy ‘taking America by storm’ as Gary Davies advises. So did any of us actually refer to the band as ‘FYC’? I know I didn’t but to be fair the acronym is emblazoned in huge letters on the album’s cover so….

I do recall Peter Powell referring to Tears For Fears as ‘TFF’ on his show and on TOTP err…Top Of The Pops but I didn’t think it really caught on. Was it the same with ‘FYC’…damn! I mean Fine Young Cannibals? For me, it certainly wasn’t a case of FYC being just like OMD. You know what? I think that’s enough pop acronyms for one post. Moving on…

…to Morrissey! The title of this one – “Interesting Drug” – didn’t ring any bells with me and neither did I recognize the song when I when I watched this back. As with previous single “The Last of the Famous International Playboys”, Mozza is backed by an all Smiths line up bar Johnny Marr and is even augmented by the wonderful Kirsty MacColl on backing vocals. It seems like pretty standard late 80s era Morrissey fare to me and is definitely listenable but doesn’t have enough hooks to become any sort of ear worm.

Apparently this No 9 peaking hit was a stand alone single not featuring on any studio album although it is on his compilation LP “Bona Drag”. Interesting.

Back in the studio are The Beatmasters featuring Merlin performing their hit “Who’s In The House”. Merlin was lucky to make it at all as he was serving a six month sentence in a youth custody centre for burglary at the time*. Talking of sentences, he was given the nickname Merlin on account of his “ability to change words, to make anything out of a sentence” according to the man himself. Did Merlin make something out of himself after his own (custodial) sentence? No idea. Wikipedia says he released his own solo album later in the year and then a follow up in 1992 but shows nothing else after that. To be honest I don’t remember him at all although I do recall the track “Who’s In The House”. As for its title, I’ve checked a few times and despite my gut feeling that surely it was actually called “Who’s In Da House” it seems it wasn’t.

*It turns out that Merlin’s uncle was actually Smiley Culture of “Police Officer” fame  – oh the irony.

Ooh Yazz looks a bit different to the last time we saw her! Are they dreadlocks on her head and what’s with the bow in her hair? According to a Smash Hits article at the time, she had been warned to stop bleaching her hair and wanted to grow it long. The dreads were actually something called ‘sticks’ (no idea).

“Where Has All the Love Gone” was the fourth and  final single to be lifted from her album “Wanted” and I much preferred it to her last effort (the sultry jazz ballad “Fine Time”). I think it was the sound effect that producer Youth seemed to have blatantly nicked from Pet Shop Boys No 1 song “Heart” from 12 months previous that hooked me in. On reflection, the rest of the song is actually fairly uneventful.

As it was the fourth single from an album that had been out for six months by this point, the logic of diminishing returns kicked in and it was the smallest hit from “Wanted” peaking at No 16. Although there were a couple more moderately sized Top 40 entries into the next decade, for me this really was the watershed moment for Yazz when the orbit of her fame started to decay. Maybe there was too much of a gap between releases and the subsequent lowering of her profile was the reason for her demise? We’ll never know I guess.

Top 10

10. Inner City -“Ain’t Nobody Better”

9. Morrissey – “Interesting Drug”

8. Beatmasters featuring Merlin – “Who’s In The House”

7. Fine Young Cannibals – “Good Thing”

6. Kon Kan – “I Beg Your Pardon”

5. The Cure – “Lullaby”

4. Holly Johnson – “Americanos”

3. Transvision Vamp – “Baby I Don’t Care”

2. Simply Red – “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”

1. The Bangles – “Eternal Flame”: A third week at the top and I’m running out of things to say about it. I’m not going to have to resort to the which one was your favourite Bangle am I? A stupid question anyway as it’s obviously Susanna Hoffs…or is it? I always had a soft spot for bassist Michael Steele actually. She always seemed cool and aloof – she had been a founder member of The Runaways so her credibility credentials certainly pass muster. Michael is not in the current Bangles line up having officially left the band in 2005.

Proving there was more to Poison than just “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”, here are the hairy US glam rockers with “Your Mama Don’t Dance”. Apparently this is a cover version (I had no idea) with the 1972 original being by Loggins and Messina as in Kenny ‘Footloose’ Loggins.

This always sounded really lame to me and decidedly weak compared to what the likes of Guns N’ Roses were doing at this time*. Apparently written about Jim Messina’s mother and step father’s very different relationships with music – his Mum loved Elvis and Rock ‘n’ Roll whilst his step father didn’t and thought the Beatles were just “screaming, long haired idiots” – Poison’s version reached No 13 in the UK and No 10 in the US.

*Apparently Poison once poured ice water over Guns N’ Roses’ publicist – must have been their Chumbawumba moment!

Order of appearance Artist Song Did I buy it?

1

 London Boys Requiem Of course not

2

 Natalie Cole Miss You Like Crazy Nope

3

 De La Soul Me, Myself And I No but my wife had their ‘3 Feet High And Rising’ album

4

 Fine Young Cannibals Good Thing No but my wife had their album The Raw And The Cooked

5

 Morrissey Interesting Drug No

6

 Beatmasters featuring Merlin Who’s In The House As if

7

 Yazz Where Has All The Love Gone Nah

8

 The Bangles Eternal Flame Presume it’s on their Best Of CD that I have

9

 Poison Your Mama Don’t Dance Very poor – no

Disclaimer

OK – here’s the thing – the TOTP episodes are only available on iPlayer for a limited amount of time so the link to the programme below only works for about another month so you’ll have to work fast if you want to catch the whole show.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000fzm0/top-of-the-pops-27041989

I make no claim to the rights of this show and all ownership and contents including logos and graphics belongs totally to the BBC or copyright holder(s).

All opinions on the music and artists featured are my own. Sorry if you don’t agree.

Some bed time reading?

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http://likepunkneverhappened.blogspot.com/2019/04/april-19-may-2-1989_19.html

 

 

TOTP 20 APR 1989

Posted on by 80stastic

I’ve said it before in this blog but it’s hard to think of Nicky Campbell as a Radio 1 DJ and all that meant when you consider how his broadcast career panned out. I very much see him as a broadcaster of some gravitas thanks to his Radio 5 Live time breakfast programme with its focus on news and current affairs. I have to admit to not recalling listening to him when he was at Radio 1. Wikipedia tells me that he presented both late night and early morning shows which possibly explains why I don’t remember catching him – I was a student doing my best to uphold their  lazy good for nothing stereotype at the time after all. Anyway, he’s one of the TOTP hosts for this show alongside Sybil Ruscoe who was at the peak of her fame as part of Simon Mayo’s breakfast show crew.

Also at the height of her fame is Wendy James who, as part of her band, Transvision Vamp, are the first act on tonight. “Baby I Don’t Care” was the band’s biggest hit (No 3) and Wendy herself was rivaling the likes of Kylie Minogue in pulling in column inches in the press. Within the calendar year that was 1989, her band had racked up a No 1 album and four Top 40 singles to their name. Fast forward two years and their label MCA, unsure of the band’s sound and direction, wouldn’t even release their third album “Little Magnets Versus the Bubble of Babble” in the UK preferring to see how it was received in other territories. By the time they had decided to give it a full commercial release, the band had already split. I’m sure that we had an import CD of the album at the Market Street, Manchester store and we actually sold it to a guy who was still very much obsessed with Ms James.

That’s all in the future (past) though. For now, Wendy is the ultimate bundle of peroxide, attitude and glam pop tunes and she’s selling it for all her worth. There’s an awful lot of flesh on display here which Wendy is quite happy to tantalize the audience with via some revealing glimpses of shoulder. Literally nobody is watching the guys in the band at this point. This was real peak of her powers stuff. Inevitably there was a backlash. The press turned on her viciously with headlines like ‘Wendy James is a woman everybody loves to hate’ (The Face) whilst Time Out magazine had her on the front cover of their  ‘Hated 100’ issue. And we think Meghan Markle gets a rough deal!

Why is Nicky Campbell  referring to Simple Minds as The Simple Minds?! Surely nobody at any point in history has ever done that before?! What was he thinking?! Anyway, the definite article * less band are back with the follow up to surprise No 1 record “Belfast Child” with another cut from their “Street Fighting Years” album called “This Is Your Land”. I don’t think I realized at the time but the album was produced by Trevor Horn but instead of taking the band back to their arty synth pop origins, he went off on a tangent turning them into folk rockers (albeit ones that could fill a stadium). That album was a watershed for many fans. Some loved the overtly political nature of the songs and the new folk direction but for others it was a massive turn off. In America especially, a lot of their fan base just didn’t get it and the album languished at a lowly peak of No 70. It was also a landmark for the band personnel wise as the recording of it cost two group members including original keyboards player Mick MacNeil who left their ranks shortly afterwards.

As for this particular track, it didn’t sound as strong to me as “Belfast Child” but it had an intriguing and engaging enough melody and a serious eco message in the lyrics to boot. The topless guy on the horse at the very beginning of the video looks a bit like Oliver Tobias in a TV series that was on when I was a very small child called Arthur of the Britons  – it’s not him is it?

“This Is Your Land” peaked at No 13.

*Got me thinking – has there ever been a band called The Definite Articles? Yes there has  and they are (were?) an orchestral rock outfit from San Francisco.

After previous singles “Big Gun” and “Good Life” had both been Top 10 hits for Inner City, their third release “Ain’t Nobody Better” maintained this sequence (just) by peaking at No 10. Sadly it wasn’t a cover of the Rufus and Chaka Khan tune but was in fact just very much more of the same to my ears. I just didn’t get that Detroit techno sound at all. I was much more likely to get my rocks off on the dance floor to the likes of Transvision Vamp than this lot….err if you know what I mean. OK – for the sake of clarity I meant enjoying dancing and nothing else. Honest.

Inner City would go on having hits into the new decade but never again returned to the UK Top 10.

Just the two Breakers this week and we start with an act with a huge legacy in De La Soul. Now I wasn’t and have never been a huge hip hop fan but even I could appreciate the genius of these guys. Hailing from Amityville, Long Island NY, these three high school friends came up with possibly the most influential debut album ever in “3 Feet High and Rising”. “Me, Myself And I” was the lead single from it and established their own take on hip hop with its pioneering use of samples and positive messages of peace and harmony in direct contrast to the prevalent and violent gangsta rap. Their style and the ‘Hip Hop in The Daisy Age’ artwork of their debut album led to them being described as hippies in the music press which the trio didn’t take kindly to. “Me, Myself And I” was their very articulate response to that. The video in which the group rally against having to endure a class given by  Professor Defbeat promoting an image-driven, mainstream style of hip-hop just adds to their resistance to being labelled.

The first time I heard about this record, I foolishly believed it was something to do with the Joan Armatrading hit “Me, Myself, I” but it doesn’t even sample it! Once I finally heard it, it was a definite ‘well, this is different’ moment. As ever though, it was my much cooler girlfriend (now wife) who actually had the album!

From the sublime to the ridiculous…London Boys were actually based in Hamburg although they originally met at school in Greenwich hence the name. They were kind of like a camper version of Milli Vanilli with their gymnastic dance routines as prominent as their sound.

Ah yes, that sound. Quite why the UK decided what it really needed in Spring ’89 was some over the top, Hi-NRG eurobeat nonsense cannot be explained by rational thought. “Requiem” with its over the top intro that borrows heavily from Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” made previously sane people lose their heads completely and buy it in enough quantities to send it to No 4 in our charts. It seemed to be a peculiarly British phenomenon as the song only performed moderately across the rest of Europe. Did it not have a Europe wide release? Not content with that, the duo released a follow up single “London Nights” that did even better peaking at No 2. When parent album “The Twelve Commandments of Dance” also made No 2, all bets were off. What on earth was going on?!

Tragically, the London Boys story didn’t have a happy ending as both Edem Ephraim and Dennis Fuller were killed in 1996 when their car was hit head on by a drunk driver on a mountain road in the Austrian Alps.

Heeeere’s Holly! Yes, Holly Johnson is back again with his latest hit “Americanos”. I say back but it’s actually just the same performance from the other week re-used. As such, I’ve already reviewed this once so I’ll have to resort to tenuous links of which there are two between Holly and other artists on tonight’s TOTP. The first is to do with Holly’s name. Here’s @TOTPFacts with the background story on that…

…and of course , as Nicky Campbell informed us earlier, Lou Reed sang backing vocals on “This Is Your Land” by Simple Minds.

Secondly, around this time Holly was the guest singles reviewer in Smash Hits and one of those records that he had to make a judgement on was “Lullaby” by The Cure who we will see later in the show. Holly wasn’t that complimentary about Robert Smith and co stating that it reminded him of Mantovani and that he would have expected the band to come back with a much stronger song. Given though that he refused to comment at all on singles by Texas, Kylie Minogue, Bon Jovi and Cher as they were so awful (in Holly’s opinion), that actually sounds like a glowing, 5 star review in retrospect! OK that’ll do…next!

Metallica?! I don’t remember them being in the charts in ’89. Curiously the first line of their single “One” is ‘I can’t remember anything’. Metallica’s heavy metal sound really wasn’t my thing back then (and indeed still isn’t) so I probably hadn’t noticed that they’d already done four albums by this point.

When I think of Metallica, I think of their “Enter Sandman” single from 1991. Why? As well as being one of their biggest hits, it reminds me of when I was working as Assistant Manager in Our Price in Altrincham during Xmas 1993. One late night opening I was trying to talk to the manager about something in the back office upstairs but could still hear what the rest of the staff were playing on the shop stereo. This was right up against Xmas so we should have been hammering a Xmas album or a big selling mainstream chart title. What I heard was some awful heavy metal so I rang down to the counter and told them to change it. After a couple of equally dodgy choices, they put on “Enter Sandman” to wind me up which was the final straw –  a third phone call down was withering enough to convince the team to  put on something more appropriate. Not my finest hour but it is my first thought when I hear the name Metallica.
 

A magnificent entry into the cannon of 1989 next in the shape of Australian rockers Midnight Oil. Although we had never seen them in our charts before in their Antipodean homeland they had been a pretty big deal for quite a few years by this point. Indeed, this hit, “Beds Are Burning”, was a massive hit all around the world.

As a rather solemn Nicky Campbell advises in his intro (after he’s made a crappy boomerang joke of course) the song was about aboriginal land rights but that doesn’t really tell the whole story behind it. In 1986 the band had toured outback Australia playing to remote Aboriginal communities and seeing first hand the seriousness of the issues in health and living standards in those communities. Deeply affected by this, they wrote about their experience in the songs for their next album “Diesel And Dust” which promoted the need for appreciation by white Australia of the injustices in Aboriginal history and the band’s desire to put them right.  Did I realize all of this at the time? I don’t think so although I think I was aware that there was some depth to the song without knowing all about the subject matter  – at the very least I knew that this wasn’t another “I’d Rather Jack”.

As for the sound of the song, its verses and bridge structure are actually pretty pedestrian but its that which makes the song as it builds up perfectly to its unrestrained chorus. The little percussive interlude just before the chorus kicks in was a genius touch. The lyric ‘The time has come to say fair’s fair, to pay the rent now, to pay our share’ always reminded me of that famous  and rather odd David Coleman line in the 1974 FA Cup final when Kevin Keegan scores the first goal for Liverpool (‘Goals pay the rent and Keegan does his share’). I think I was probably missing the point though.

“Beds Are Burning” peaked at No 6 in the UK Top 40.

Next up is Mantovani. Sorry, it’s that single by The Cure that Holly Johnson reviewed actually. “Lullaby” was the lead single from latest album “Disintegration” and would prove to be the band’s biggest ever UK hit peaking at No 5  – the only time they ever made the Top 5 which seems incredible given their the band’s catalogue of work. The album was also a huge commercial success as well as critically well received. “Lullaby” was typical of a conscious decision to move way from their more poppier side of the likes of “The Love Cats” and “Inbetween Days” to a more introspective and gloomy sound.

As with Simple Minds earlier in the show, the recording of the album had incurred band casualties with founding member Lol Tolhurst fired from the band due to problems with alcoholism.

I have to admit that my knowledge of The Cure’s discography timeline gets a bit foggy towards the end of the decade and if I’d been asked before this TOTP repeat had aired when “Lullaby” had been released, I’m not sure I could have answered ‘1989’ with any confidence despite knowing  the song.

Top 10

10. Donna Summer – “This Time I Know It’s For Real”

9. Fine Young Cannibals – “Good Thing”

8. Madonna – “Like A Prayer”

7. Paula Abdul – “Straight Up”

6. U2 – “When Love Comes To Town”

5. Kon Kan – “I Beg Your Pardon”

4. Holly Johnson – “Americanos”

3. Transvision Vamp – “Baby I Don’t Care”

2. Simply Red – “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”

1. The Bangles – “Eternal Flame”: Still burning bright at the top of the tree I wonder if  any of the band used to object to the amount of attention that Susanna Hoffs got / gets? Although they didn’t have a lead singer technically with vocal duties equally shared out, Susanna’s profile was by far the biggest of the group so did it cause any friction? Wikipedia seems to suggest that was the reason behind the breakup in 1989. Indeed, history records that “Eternal Flame” was the straw that broke the camel’s back with the rest of them being cast as backing band to Hoff’s superstar status.  There was a happy ending though with the group reforming in 1998 and still a going concern to this day albeit without original bassist Michael Steele.

The play out video is “Who’s In The House” by Beatmasters featuring Merlin although that promo appears to be blocked on YouTube so here’s a copyright avoiding reversed version.

We’d already seen Beatmasters score hits with Cookie Crew and P.P. Arnold previously but this one was with someone called Merlin whom I really don’t remember. At the time I thought it was a lazy cash in on the whole ‘house’ phenomenon but apparently it had more of a back story than that. Here’s @TOTPFacts:

This one never did much for me although I did like their next and final hit which was released later in the year with Betty Boo called “Hey DJ!/I Can’t Dance (To That Music You’re Playing)”. “Who’s In The House” peaked at No 8.

Order of appearance Artist Song Did I buy it?

1

 Transvision Vamp Baby I Don’t Care It’s on their collection CD that I own

2

 Simple Minds This Is Your Land Nope

3

 Inner City Ain’t Nobody Better A definite no

4

 De La Soul Me, Myself And I No but my wife had their ‘3 Feet High And Rising’ album

5

 London Boys Requiem Of course not

6

 Holly Johnson Americanos No but my wife had his album ‘Blast’

7

 Metallica One No

8

 Midnight Oil Beds Are Burning Thought I did but I didn’t apparently

9

 The Cure Lullaby Don’t think so

10

 The Bangles Eternal Flame Presume it’s on their Best Of CD that I have

11

 Beatmasters featuring Merlin Who’s In The House As if

Disclaimer

OK – here’s the thing – the TOTP episodes are only available on iPlayer for a limited amount of time so the link to the programme below only works for about another month so you’ll have to work fast if you want to catch the whole show.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000fzly/top-of-the-pops-20041989

I make no claim to the rights of this show and all ownership and contents including logos and graphics belongs totally to the BBC or copyright holder(s).

All opinions on the music and artists featured are my own. Sorry if you don’t agree.

Some bed time reading?

31770397850_4ac0e9f8d1_n

http://likepunkneverhappened.blogspot.com/2019/04/april-19-may-2-1989_19.html

TOTP 13 APR 1989

Posted on by 80stastic

It’s mid April 1989 and the end of my three year stay in Sunderland Polytechnic is not far away now. I’m still burying my head in the sand about this impending eventuality with no plan whatsoever about what I will do next.

However, all of these concerns were put into perspective two days after this TOTP aired when the tragic events of 15th April 1989 that occurred at Hillsborough football stadium became known to the world. Like millions of others, I was tuned into Grandstand that afternoon to follow the day’s football scores including the two FA Cup semi final matches that were being played. By 3.05 that afternoon, it was becoming apparent that something was dreadfully wrong at the Liverpool v Nottingham Forest game. I’m pretty sure there were other people in my student house with me at the time but all those details have been scorched from my brain by the images that were being relayed on our TV.

In 1985, I’d watched the Heysel Stadium disaster in my family home  – I remember that I should have been revising for a school  exam the next day but that all went out of the window as the night’s events unfolded – so I knew that football and tragedy had a history but Hillsborough seemed so unreal. How was this happening? The fact that simultaneously, some 90 odd miles away, the other semi final was being contested between Everton and Norwich City at Villa Park to a conclusion in favour of the Merseyside team just seemed to add to the feeling of unreality. It felt like the outcome of that game really didn’t matter at all. How could it?

In early January I had traveled to Cumbria to watch my mate Robin’s beloved Carlisle United play Liverpool in the FA Cup 3rd round. Despite them knowing that I was a committed Chelsea fan, this led my parents to be concerned that I somehow may have been at Hillsborough as well. In a time before mobile phones, I really should have found a payphone to reassure them I suppose but it never really occurred to me that they may think I would somehow have been at the game. I can’t remember what I did on the night of that fateful Saturday but I’m sure my mood, like the nation’s, would have been very sombre.

OK, let’s go back 48 hours earlier though to a time before the events of Hillsborough changed the world where we find a solo Mark Goodier on presenting duties. There’s no explanation given as to why there aren’t two hosts this week but there aren’t any Breakers either so maybe they thought two presenters for just the nine acts this week would have been overkill or something.

The first act tonight are Cookie Crew with “Got To Keep On” and despite the fact that he doesn’t get an official credit on the record, the Clapham rappers have managed to persuade Edwin Starr to appear with them. Well, I suppose it was a nice day out for him at least. So what were they actually rapping about? I looked up the lyrics for this one and it seems to be some sort of mission statement about the Cookie Crew and their sound.

‘That we’re down from the southside so you can confide, In the Cookie Crew, cause we’re true’

Was Clapham the southside? Well, it’s south-west London so I suppose….maybe? What say you Wikipedia about Clapham?

‘By the 1980s, the area had undergone a further transformation, becoming the centre for the gentrification of most of the surrounding area. Clapham’s relative proximity to traditionally expensive areas of central London led to an increase in the number of middle-class people living in Clapham’

Hmm…it doesn’t really sound like Cookie Crew were from the hood exactly then. Look, rap and hip hip wasn’t really my thing so maybe I should look for a more valid source when evaluating Cookie Crew …like the heroes of UK hip hop website which had this to say about them:

‘They were a borderline commercial rap group who gained respect from the hardcore hip hop heads for some of their harder tracks.’

There you go then. They were bad asses it seems. Or something. Moving on…

…to a remarkable gaff from Goodier.

“The Cookie Crew showing the Americans a thing or two. Now another… American band.”

Fine work there Mark – not sure attempting to slur their nationality is the best way of introducing the next act though who are Ten City with “Devotion” and it’s yet another song that I cannot recall at all. I just about remembered their previous hit “That’s The Way Love Goes” when it was on the other week but this one? Nothing.

When Goodier introduced the song as “Devotion” I thought it was going to be that “I Want to Give You Devotion” song but it turns out that was by Nomad and in any case wasn’t in the charts until 1991. This “Devotion” did/does absolutely nothing for me. It just sort of meanders along with a house beat and that falsetto vocal over the top. Where’s the tune in it? Maybe it was a club thing? Can’t recall it being played much down at my Sunderland nightclub of choice Rascals though.

“Devotion” peaked at No 29 and Ten City never troubled the UK chart compilers again.

Did Goodier just say ‘It’s Top Of The Baps’ in the intro to the next act?! That’s a completely different type of  show surely?! Right, this must be the last time we see T’Pau on the show in the 80s? By this point the band had adopted a full on rock star look. Carol Decker has a studded leather jacket on (complete with fringed sleeves no less) whilst her partner Ronnie Rogers has a well cultivated rock god mop of hair atop his head. Meanwhile the lead guitarist clearly thinks he is playing in U2 rather than some pub rockers from Shrewsbury and has even adopted an image to make him look like The Edge.

Going back to Rogers, he always had that strange stance where he would push the neck of his guitar out at a right angle to his body as if he was trying to measure a distance. Either than or it was his Corporal Jones impression and he’s pretending to wave a rifle about whilst shouting ‘Halt! Who goes there?’. His straight arm technique might have worked better for him if he had been a goalkeeper but it looks bizarre for a guitar player. 

“Only The Lonely” peaked at No 28.

Next up are INXS with “Mystify” which also happens to be the title of the recent Michael Hutchence documentary. Around this time, Hutchence had a rather drastic haircut and all his trademark long locks disappeared overnight. In the documentary, this is referenced when one of the band recounts a story of Michael attending an awards ceremony with his new hairstyle. The band member (Tim Farriss I think) turns to his wife sat in the audience and says ‘you can stop spending on the credit cards now, we’re done’ such was the concern about how Hutchence’s new image might damage the band’s commercial fortunes.

This Sampson effect had been seem before I think when Marc Bolan lopped off some of his curls and it made headline news so maybe Farriss was thinking of that when he made his comment. As it turned out, INXS returned with another huge selling album in “X” the following year by which point though Hutchence had regrown his hair so maybe there was some direct correlation between the length of his hair and the band’s chart positions.

It seems strange to recall now but there was a time (and that time was 1989) when Fine Young Cannibals were superstars in the US. In that year, they recorded two No 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart – previous single “She Drives Me Crazy” and this one “Good Thing”. I was never the biggest fan of the latter. I mean, it was good but I didn’t quite get the fuss about it. It seemed a very simple tune based around a version of a 12 bar blues structure but Roland Gift’s unique vocal stylings added on top do make it stand out I guess. His cartwheel over to David Steele on piano in this performance was typical of his stage craft which often included star jumps and the splits and it certainly elicits some squeals of delight from the studio audience.

I thought it must have been at least a Top 3 hit over here but was surprised to discover that it got no further than No 7 in the UK charts. It certainly had the profile of a much bigger hit given that it seemed to be played every other hour on the radio. A total of six tracks were released as singles from the parent album “The Raw And The Cooked” but none of those that came after “Good Thing” made the Top 10.

After that guy from T’Pau earlier in the show trying to convince himself that he was in U2, here comes the real thing. What was with all that fuss that Mark Goodier is making about the video that TOTP are showing for their latest single “When Love Comes To Town”about though? Something to do with a re-edited version that includes footage that isn’t in their “Rattle And Hum” film? Was that such a big deal? Maybe I’m too used to  YouTube and streaming platforms these days – is it possible that I could have forgotten how the thrill of seeing something exclusively on TV felt back then?

As for the song itself, I really wasn’t arsed about it. For me, the singles from the “Rattle And Hum” album fell into two distinct camps. There were the strident, bluesy songs          (“Desire and “When Love Comes To Town”) and the more typical U2 sound of “Angel Of Harlem” and “All I Want”. I was definitely more in favour of the latter camp.

Did I know who B.B.King was back in 1989? I’m ashamed to say I probably didn’t. Fast forward a couple of years to the start of my Our Price days and we would have specialist music mornings when the shop would have an allocated musical genre (not rock/pop) and only artists from the particular chosen genre could be played on the sound system. B.B. King would feature heavily whenever it was blues morning.

“When Love Comes To Town” peaked at No 6 in the UK charts.

Adeva is next with “Musical Freedom”. Now I mistakenly believed that the “sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air” line had been pinched by The Source featuring Candi Staton for their huge 1991 hit single “You Got The Love”. What I didn’t realize was that “You Got The Love” was originally released in 1986 (the 1991 version was a remix) so it tuns out that Adeva stole it from them! 

Either way, “Musical Freedom” didn’t liberate me musically at all and certainly didn’t open my eyes to expanding my sonic horizons.

Top 10

10. Soul II Soul – “Keep On Movin”

9. Holly Johnson – “Americanos”

8. Donna Summer – “This Time I Know It’s For Real”

7. Transvision Vamp – “Baby I Don’t Care”

6. Jason Donovan – “Too Many Broken Hearts”

5. Kon Kan – “I Beg Your Pardon”

4. Paula Abdul – “Straight Up”

3. Madonna – “Like A Prayer”

2. Simply Red – “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”

1. The Bangles – “Eternal Flame”: The LA quartet have usurped the Queen of Pop for their first and only UK No 1. I began this post writing about the Hillsborough disaster and there is a connection  with “Eternal Flame”. The Hillsborough memorial at Anfield which features the names of the 96 who lost their lives  also has an eternal flame. I listened to a BBC documentary about Hillsborough a few years back and I’m sure Brookside actress Sue Johnston made reference to “Eternal Flame” (the song) in it. The memorial was located next to the Shankly Gates before it was moved to the front of the redeveloped main stand in 2016.

The play out video is “Of Course I’m Lying” by Yello. Despite a career lasting over 40 years, somehow this song is one of only two Top 40 singles that Dieter Meier and Boris Blank ever achieved in the UK. “Of Course I’m Lying” peaked at No 23 and features one of the UK’s best ever (and most underrated) singers, the much missed Billy Mackenzie on backing vocals.

Order of appearance Artist Song Did I buy it?

1

 Cookie Crew Got To Keep On Nah

2

 Ten City Devotion Nope

3

 T’Pau Only The Lonely And no

4

 INXS Mystify Sure it’s on the Greatest Hits CD which I have

5

 Fine Young Cannibals Good Thing No but my wife had their album The Raw And The Cooked

6

 U2 and B.B. King When Love Comes To Town I did not

7

 Adeva Musical Freedom No

8

 The Bangles Eternal Flame Presume it’s on their Best Of CD that I have

9

 Yello Of course I’m Lying Don’t think I did

Disclaimer

OK – here’s the thing – the TOTP episodes are only available on iPlayer for a limited amount of time so the link to the programme below only works for about another month so you’ll have to work fast if you want to catch the whole show.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000frf9/top-of-the-pops-13041989

I make no claim to the rights of this show and all ownership and contents including logos and graphics belongs totally to the BBC or copyright holder(s).

All opinions on the music and artists featured are my own. Sorry if you don’t agree.

Some bed time reading?

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http://likepunkneverhappened.blogspot.com/2019/04/april-5-18-1989.html

 

 

TOTP 30 MAR 1989

Posted on by 80stastic

The relentless BBC4 TOTP repeats schedule continues a pace and we find ourselves already a quarter through 1989 with this episode. It’s bloody brutal especially when you have committed to reviewing each one. There’s no time for a ponderous intro though, let’s get to it.

Tonight’s presenters are old hands at this game and pretty big names at the time in Gary Davies and Bruno Brookes. Who had the biggest profile? I’m not sure and  I haven’t worked it out but I’m guessing that nobody hosted the show more than Davies during the 80s if that is any measure. Who else was on so regularly?

Well, bizarrely, one of tonight’s opening act has some previous in that field as it’s ex Radio 1 DJ and some time TOTP host Pat Sharp as one half of the singing DJ duo Pat and Mick. Sharp had long since left the nation’s favourite radio station by this point and was happily ensconced at Capital FM where he teamed up with colleague Mick Brown (and yes I had to look up his surname) for a series of charity records in aid of the ‘Help A London Child’ appeal. If Bruno was ever so slightly overshadowed by Davies (and not just in the height stakes) then Mick Brown was totally eclipsed by Pat Sharp. Mick doesn’t even seem to have his own Wikipedia page! To try and combat this, Mick has distanced himself from his partner by wearing a suit and tie for this performance of “I Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet” as opposed to Sharp’s casual threads. Mick, you could have walked on stage in a mankini (had they been invented then) and people would still have been talking about Pat Sharp’s hair. The ultimate indignity came when Pat and Mick appeared on the identity parade section of Never Mind The Buzzcocks but the teams were only asked to identify Mick! 

This was the second of a string of dreadful cover versions of disco type tunes in aid of charity that stretched all the way to 1993 when the pair finally saw sense and stopped (dancing).

Future No 1 incoming. “Eternal Flame” by The Bangles was up to No 13 by this point having jumped a massive 20 places after its appearance in last week’s Breakers. It’s interesting to note that this was was a real (ahem) slow burner.  Yes it had been No 1 in the US as Gary Davies advises us but if you check its UK chart performance (and I have) it took an age not just to get to No 1 but to even break into the Top 40. Check out these placings over its 20 weeks chart life from its release on 4th February 1989:

81 – 79 – 72 – 60 – 53 – 52 – 47 – 33 -13 – 5 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 2 – 7 – 11 – 27 – 27 – 38

Seven weeks before it even got into the Top 40! In a way it’s not so surprising though. Since their last UK Top 10 hit “Walk Like An Egyptian” in 1986, they’d released four further singles none of which had got higher than No 11 and, most significantly, the last of which was “In Your Room” the lead single from their latest album which had pretty much bombed at a very lowly No 35. It didn’t bode well for further releases from the album but “Eternal Flame” reversed that trend and then some.

The first of the show’s live performances now (I’m assuming Pat And Mick weren’t live!) from Roachford with “Family Man” and Andrew has brought his key-tar with him! The blues influence on his music – which is much more prevalent on this track than previous hit “Cuddly Toy” I think – was instilled in him from an early age via his gigging experience as a 14 year old in his Uncle Bill’s blues band which Andrew admits rather ostracized him for his mates who “didn’t really care for” it. The only parallel I can draw would be someone at my school back in the day declaring a special affiliation for the work of say Bucks Fizz. Immediate social exclusion and ridicule would surely have followed. I’m not talking about myself here obviously. No really I’m not!.

“Family Man” peaked at No 25.

Some Breakers now and unbelievably Brother Beyond are still having hits! This latest one is called “Can You Keep A Secret?” which Wikipedia tells me was a re-release of their initial 1988 flop. I guess it made sense for the record label to shove a track previously been deemed worthy of being a single back out into the marketplace once they had become bona fide charts stars but this one really was piss weak. Absolutely nothing of musical interest going on here at all.

Around this time, stories about the health of Bros’s Craig Logan started to appear in the papers  after he had collapsed during the band’s European tour with rumours circulating that he was too ill to carry on in the band. Bros’s press officer even arranged for a piece refuting the claims to be published in Smash Hits magazine. Would it be too cynical to think that their fierce rivals Brother Beyond saw a chance to topple Bros in the teeny bop stakes and so, in their chart absence, did a full on publicity onslaught (single release, Smash Hits covers etc) to usurp them? If there ever was a conscious decision to do so it didn’t work. Brother Beyond would be back to releasing flop singles before the year was out whilst Bros were still having hits. As for poor Ken Craig Logan, he never did make it back into the band and the next Bros release would see the band relaunched as a duo.

Now whilst I certainly remember who the next act Adeva was, I’m hard pressed to recall quite how some of her songs went. This one “Musical Freedom” is a case in point. Let me have a retrospective listen…

…hang on a minute. That line ‘sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air’ sounds very familiar but not from this Adeva track. Give me a minute, it’ll come to me…

*think, man, think*

Yes of course, it’s this one…

Also, the ‘movin’ on up’ chorus…did M People just completely rip that off then? Some definite liberties been taken here. For the record, Adeva’s “Musical Freedom” peaked at No 22.

And she’s back! It’s time for Wendy James to conquer the world! Yes, Transvision Vamp have returned to the planet pop and this time it’s serious. After finally achieving chart star status with “I Want Your Love” and a re-released “Revolution Baby” in ’88, Wendy and the lads would now crank it up a few more notches. Returning with “Baby I Don’t Care” they made a statement that if it wasn’t broke then don’t fix it. To me, it was an exact replica of “I Want Your Love” which wasn’t a bad thing at all but it didn’t show much progress in their musical direction. But so what! As Wendy says in a recent Classic Pop magazine interview:

“The zeitgeist of the end of the 80s. We were perfect and you couldn‘t have stopped us being successful. You could have put us out there in ape suits and we would have made it.“ 

Hmm. Not sure that statement rings quite true Wendy. Exhibit 1 to the contrary would be the official promo video below…

Anyway, “Baby I Don’t Care” was a huge success (No 3 and the band’s biggest ever hit) whilst the parent album “Velveteen” went to No 1 and spawned a further three hit singles. Transvision Vamp were officially big news. We’ll be seeing lots more of Wendy (if that were possible) in future TOTP repeats I’m sure.

Now then, an actual critically acclaimed artist next and let’s be fair, you didn’t get may of those to the pound on TOTP in 1989. The The first came to my attention in 1983 when I saw the cover of their “Uncertain Smile” single in the record section of WH Smiths. Its distinctive and arresting style caught my eye immediately but as I had no idea who they were I didn’t buy it. I would later hear the song on radio (presumably something like David ‘Kid’ Jensen’s early evening show) and thought it sounded great. At some point after that I purchased the “Soul Mining” album it was taken from and when I went to Sunderland Poly in ’86 it took pride of place at the front of my album collection as the coolest item in there.

Fast forward three years and The The (essentially Matt Johnson for much of that time) were back and this time with a reconvened proper band line up.  It’s hard not to notice his greatness Johnny Marr in this performance but if you peer closely through the dry ice then you can also see ex-ABC drummer David Palmer as well. “The Beat(en) Generation” was the lead single from the “Mid Bomb” album and was (at the time) only the band’s second Top 40 hit and also their highest peaking at No 18.

Years later whilst working in Our Price, I would routinely use The The as the exception to prove the rule of the shop’s filing system when training new members of staff. My filing training patter was  basically ” The system always starts at Aaliyah and ends with ZZ Top. Never look for a band whose name begins with ‘the’ under ‘the’ except for The The”. Job done!

Did Bruno Brookes just describe that The The performance as ‘fabbo’? Bloody hell! I’m pretty sure such an expression would have sounded lame even in 1989. Just to compound his lack of credibility, he then manages to get the title of the Guns N’ Roses song wrong when he announces it’s called ‘Paradise’ as opposed to its actual title of “Paradise City”. Put the following words into a sentence… job – had – one – you.

Obviously Guns N’ Roses aren’t actually in the TOTP studio so we have to make do with the video again. Taken from the “Appetite For Destruction” album, the band were pretty prolific in releasing material around this time and into the early ’90s including two albums released on the same day in the “Use Your Illusion”s albums in ’91. And then….pretty much nothing. After “The Spaghetti Incident?” covers album in ’93 no new material was released for 15 years until the infamous “Chinese Democracy” album appeared in 2008.

Back in my Our Price days, each shop received a weekly blue sheets info pack that included a forthcoming releases section. “Chinese Democracy” had a permanent place in that list for years with a perpetual release date of ‘unknown’. The band imploded in the mid 90s and haemorrhaged  four members including Slash which all added to the rumours about the album. It attained almost mythical status. A musical unicorn or pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. By the time it finally appeared, all momentum was lost and sales were ultimately disappointing. I don’t think it was helped by one of the worst covers in rock history. But for now, as Bruno Brookes states (he got something right for once!), they were one of the biggest bands in America.

He’s soon back to sounding idiotic though. ‘Long hair is back!’ he trills after the Guns N’ Roses video. Have you looked in the mirror lately Bruno?! Sheesh!

Calling “International Rescue”! It’s only Fuzzbox again and since their last appearance on the show they’ve had a bit of a move around of the stage positions. Keyboard player Magz has been moved from the wings to a more prominent camera position. There’s no displacing lead singer Vickie Perks though who remains centre stage with that very revealing costume. When pressed about their sleek, racy new image and the intentions behind it (Perks told Smash Hits that she had just wanted to wear a bra top and knickers for the video!), the band infamously defended it by saying that every band in history had sold themselves with sex …’except Marillion’. Hard to disagree with that statement.

“International Rescue” peaked at No 11.

Returning goth rockers The Cult next with their new single “Fire Woman”. Not seen around TOTP parts for two whole years, they were back with not just this track but a new album (“Sonic Temple”). As well as recording that, the band seem to have spent the intervening years all growing their hair to rock god length (Bruno was right!). Predictably, the show’s production team have arranged some pyrotechnics for the band’s performance because…well… the song’s called “Fire Woman” yeah? Fire Woman, get it? Yes, we all get this most obvious of effects, There’s links from The Cult to two other acts on this particular broadcast. Here’s @TOTPFacts with the first…

The second is that Guns N’ Roses opened for The Cult on their North America tour of 1987. Yep, that’s right. Axl, Slash etc opened for The Cult. Not the other way round.

For me, “Fire Woman” wasn’t breaking any new ground although I liked it enough. Their next single “Edie (Ciao Baby)” was infinitely better for me and one of their best tunes though. Just one more thing, their drummer looks like he could have been in  Spinal Tap. All those pyrotechnics must have been making him feel very nervous!

Top 10

10. Kon Kan – “I Beg Your Pardon”

9. Bananarama with Lalaneeneenoonoo – “Help”

8. The Reynolds Girls – “I’d Rather Jack”

7. Gloria Estefan – “Can’t Stay Away From You”

6. Guns N’ Roses – “Paradise City”

5. Soul II Soul – “Keep On Movin”

4. Paula Abdul – “Straight Up”

3. Donna Summer – “This Time I Know It’s For Real”

2. Jason Donovan – Too Many Broken Hearts”

1. Madonna – “Like A Prayer”: So much has been written about Madonna over the years (even her Wikipedia entries are enormous) that it’s hard to know what else can be said about her. I’ve talked about the video, the controversy, the song…what else is there?

Its legacy! Of course! First off its lasting popularity. In the NME‘s “The Greatest Pop Songs In History” list in 2011, “Like A Prayer” came in at No 3. In 2003, Q Magazine asked Madonna fans to vote for their “Top 20 Madonna singles of all-time”. In this poll, the track did even better coming in at No 1. Polls are two a penny though. Look at the Smash Hits end of year polls when the likes of Boy George could be voted as both the best and worst singer in the world (ever!). For a true perspective on the impact of the song how about this? In 1999, The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance held a  seminar on the different implications and metaphors present in the song! I can’t imagine such a scholarly study of “Holiday”. And what about this for evidence of the song’s everlasting appeal…

I think “Like A Prayer” has at least one more week at No 1 so I’m going to have to think of something else to say about if for the next post.

Hands up – who thought this was New Order the first time they heard it?  It was of course Kon Kan, a Canadian synth duo (bet they knew Men Without Hats then) who took the late 80s craze for sampling and instead of using it to create yet another lazy house music track, came up with a shimmering synth pop gem. ” I Beg Your Pardon” relied heavily on the source material that was country singer Lynn Anderson’s 1970 hit “Rose Garden” (which I’m pretty sure my Dad had bought back in the day) but tied it to a stomping electronic back beat and some Bernard Sumner style deadpan vocals. The result was pretty arresting the first time I heard it. I still think it stands up today actually. 

The single was a big hit all across Europe (No 5 in the UK) and also a sizeable success in the US (No 15). Around, a pretty credible entry into the cannon of one hit wonders I would say. 

Order of appearance Artist Song Did I buy it?

1

 Pat And Mick I Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet Do you have to ask?

2

 The Bangles Eternal Flame It must be on their Best Of CD that I have

3

 Roachford Family Man No

4

 Brother Beyond Can You Keep A Secret? Jeez no!

5

 Adeva Musical Freedom Nah

6

 Transvision Vamp Baby I Don’t Care It’s on their collection CD that I own

7

 The The The Beat(en) Generation Apparently not

8

 Guns N’ Roses Paradise City Not the single but I think I have the album somewhere

9

 Fuzzbox International Rescue Liked it but didn’t buy it

10

 The Cult Fire Woman Think its on their Pure Cult album that I have

11

 Madonna Like A Prayer No but it’s on my Immaculate Collection CD

12

 Kon Kan I Beg Your Pardon Why didn’t I buy this?!

Disclaimer

OK – here’s the thing – the TOTP episodes are only available on iPlayer for a limited amount of time so the link to the programme below only works for about another month so you’ll have to work fast if you want to catch the whole show.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000fjbr/top-of-the-pops-30031989

I make no claim to the rights of this show and all ownership and contents including logos and graphics belongs totally to the BBC or copyright holder(s).

All opinions on the music and artists featured are my own. Sorry if you don’t agree.

Some bed time reading?

31770249150_2f45cf7c5c_n

 

http://likepunkneverhappened.blogspot.com/2019/03/march-22-april-4-1989.html

TOTP 23 MAR 1989

Posted on by 80stastic

It’s Maundy Thursday 1989 and as it’s Thursday it means that we have another TOTP show. The impending Easter celebrations can mean only one thing in the studio – rabbits! The production team have assembled some fairly crappy looking rabbit decorations in the style of those concertina lanterns / bells. Presenter Mark Goodier feels the need to draw our attention to them and no I don’t like your Easter bunnies Mark.

But before all of this comes The Reynolds Girls. They’re back for a second studio appearance and in matching outfits, identical even except for the red handkerchief that the blonde one has hanging out of the back pocket of her cut off jeans. That can’t be so we can tell them apart surely?! Err… the clothes are identical not the sisters whoever styled them. Maybe it’s a Morrissey gladioli style affectation.

Goodier describes their song “I’d Rather Jack” as ‘brilliant pop music’. Hmm. Not sure about that. It’s almost like one of those tribute songs that name checks other artists (like “Nightshift” by The Commodores) but in reverse. Also, I know the nation was still enthralled by house music at this time but did people still ‘jack’ by this point? After all, “Jack Your Body” by Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley had been No 1 a whole two years before (presumably The Reynolds Girls were still in school then). Whatever. I’m guessing this is the last time we’ll see the girls on the show  – wherever they are now – a 2013 national search for them to take part in a PWL 25th anniversary concert in Hyde Park failed to find them – let’s hope they’re happy.

Blimey! Alyson Williams absolutely belts out the opening lines of her single “Sleep Talk” next. She gives a very energetic performance, working the studio audience hard all the while wearing a hat that wouldn’t look out of place in Grace Jones’ wardrobe.

Despite Alyson’s obvious talents the song though does very little for me. I can’t really be doing with the jumpy, clunky R’n’B backing track and the lyrics about a lover betraying himself and his infidelity by talking in his sleep. Leaves me cold I’m afraid.

 

Another outing for the video for Donna Summer‘s “This Time I Know It’s For Real” single again next. I was listening to Gary Davies on Radio 2 earlier (yes I’m at that age where I find Radio 1 unlistenable) and he played “State Of Independence”. Compared to that towering, ground breaking song, “This Time I Know It’s For Real” sounds so twee and lame. From the very start of it when that familiar, formulaic SAW backing track kicks in its fate is sealed and even Donna’s vocals can’t save it from itself. I mean, compared to “I’d Rather Jack” it’s sheer poetry but then so is the massive dump I’ve just taken on a writing break. Even the video is hopeless. It should have come with a warning about flashing lights at least.

“This Time I Know It’s For Real” peaked at No 3.

 

One of the stories of 1989 next. I knew who Lisa Stansfield was before her collaboration with Coldcut on “People Hold On” due to her stint as a presenter on ITV’s music show Razzmatazz but I didn’t know of her as a singer. I certainly didn’t know about her band Blue Zone who had been releasing material for about five years up to this point  but with no commercial breakthrough.

 

A chance encounter with electronic dance samplers Coldcut was the big break that she needed. The success of the single led to Arista Records signing her on a solo deal and the rest is history. With the endorsement of Coldcut, who were rivaling SAW as star makers by this point after having done a similar job for Yazz in ’88, Lisa became a huge star and would have a No 1 single and best selling album by the end of the year.

She looks like she can’t quite believe she’s on TOTP at the start of this performance but by the end of it her star quality is shining through. I always quite liked this one. It had a strong melody and hooky chorus and it all just sat together really well.

 

Oh and I’m a bit late to the party on this but that sample in the middle of the song? Guess who…

 

“People Hold On” peaked at No 11.

Some Breakers now and we start with Pat And Mick‘s version of  “I Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet”. Now never mind that this is a heinous crime against music. Never mind Pat Sharp’s hair. What I want to know is how they decided whose name would come first in the act’s name? Did Pat have a bigger profile (as well as bigger hair) than Mick? On the first release “Let’s All Chant” the B-side was credited to ‘Mick and Pat’ so maybe Mick had not been comfortable with second billing and had to be appeased with a top ranking on the B-side. Was it then meant to alternate on future releases? As with all their singles around this time, the royalties went to Capital FM’s ‘Help A London Child’ charity and their cover of Gonzalez’s  “I Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet” actually went Top 10 so presumably earned them a few quid. Charity’s gain was pop music’s burden.

 

See, there is more to Roachford than just “Cuddly Toy”. Follow up single “Family Man” was also a hit (albeit quite a modest one) peaking at No 25. Like its predecessor, this was also a re-release and for me didn’t have the same instantaneous likability as “Cuddly Toy”. It was a bit of a grower though with its very mature bluesy feel.

When Andrew Roachford appeared on TOTP sporting a satchel as an accessory, I claimed that he may have invented the man bag. He (or rather the actor at the start of the video checking himself out in the shop window) is at it again here pioneering the Peaky Blinders look some 24 years before the TV show aired.

 

One of the most well remembered hits of the entire decade next – it’s The Bangles with “Eternal Flame”. Just about as removed from their usual kooky, psychedelic pop  sound as possible, this ballad would become a pop standard and a global hit. Apparently inspired by the eternal flame at the grave of Elvis Presley in Graceland, it was one of those songs that was destined to be a No 1  – it just had that feel about it. Besides, my housemate Ian had confidently predicted it would be – after such an endorsement it was a foregone conclusion!

Composed by the band’s Susanna Hoffs with songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, it is unusual in that it doesn’t really have a chorus as such although it feels like it does. Steinberg attributes the structure to its Beatles influence referencing “We Can Work It Out” as being in a similar vein. The song’s sonic properties are also very Beatles-esque.

I’m guessing that this must be the band’s most played song in their back catalogue as it remains a staple of playlists for the likes of Magic FM to this day. It was covered and taken back to No 1 in 2001 by Atomic Kitten but thankfully their version with its horrible added back beat rarely gets an airing.

 

From Alyson with a ‘y’ (Williams) to Kym with one! Emboldened by the success of her collaboration with Dr Robert of The Blow Monkeys on recent Top 10 hit “Wait”, Kym Mazelle is out there on her own this time with her single “Got To Get You Back”. As with a few singles that were in the charts around this time, I don’t recall this one at all. Apparently it got to No 29 and although it can’t have come to my attention, it may have been picked up on by Jazzie B as Kym would join Soul II Soul in 1990 replacing the departing Caron Wheeler.

 

And from Kym with a ‘y’ to Kim with an ‘i’! I’m guessing that this would have been Kim Wilde‘s last TOTP appearance of the 80s what with “Love In The Natural Way” being her last hit of the decade and all. So this blog bids farewell to perhaps the biggest crush of my teenage life. Thanks for everything Kim. Sniff.

 

“You really should see this again” advises Mark Goodier about the next performance, trying to justify the fact that this is just a repeat of the same clip of Paul Abdul doing “Straight Up” as we have already seen on the show the other week. In a Smash Hits interview, Paula said “I guess someday I’d like to marry a film director or songwriter. Someone who can understand this currazy business I’m in”. And she did. Kind of. She married actor Emilio Estevez in 1992 but they divorced just two years later. Around this time, Emilio was riding high on the back of his performance as ‘Billy The Kid’ in Young Guns and it was also around this time that my friend from Poly Emma asked the question ‘Is Emilio Estevez Gloria’s brother?’

 

Top 10

10. The Reynolds Girls – I’d Rather Jack”

9. Sam Brown – “Stop!”

8. Guns N’ Roses – “Paradise City”

7. Gloria Estevez  Estefan – “Cant Stay Away From You”

6. Bananarama and Lalaneeneenoonoo – “Help”

5. Soul II Soul – “Keep On Movin”

4. Paula Abdul – “Straight Up”

3. Donna Summer – “This Time I Know It’s For Real”

2. Jason Donovan – “Too Many Broken Hearts”

1. Madonna – “Like A Prayer”: With the video deemed far too controversial to be shown in its entirety by the BBC, we get to only see it from about half way in for a duration of less than two minutes with all of the images with potential to offend conveniently removed. As for the song itself, it always sounded to me like it had an awful lot going on in it. There’s the innuendo and mystery of the lyrics, the gospel choir, its very danceable rhythm  – hell, there’s even a tiny bit of a guitar solo by Prince in there right at the start of the song. It really is everything but the kitchen sink pop. And it works. Unlike some of her material (girl), “Like A Prayer” still stands up today I think.

 

After just about every single act on tonight’s TOTP featured female vocalists, here’s a male to end the show. It’s Bobby Brown though. I’d rather have continued the female theme and gone with Sam Brown. I’m not sure that there is one single Bobby Brown track that I have ever really liked and “Don’t Be Cruel” certainly doesn’t make me think otherwise. The follow up to “My Prerogative” and also the title track to his album, it would peak at No 13 in the UK though I think it may have been released before this and not made the charts.

 

Order of appearance Artist Song Did I buy it?
1 The Reynolds Girls I’d Rather Jack I’d rather not if it’s all the same – no
2 Alyson Williams Sleep Talk Yawn – no
3 Donna Summer This Time I Know It’s For Real I think it’s on my Best Of CD of hers but I never play that track
4 Coldcut and Lisa Stansfield People Hold On Nope
5 Pat And Mick I Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet Do you have to ask?
6 Roachford Family Man No
7 The Bangles Eternal Flame It must be on their Best Of CD that I have
8 Kym Mazelle Got To Get You Back But you never had me in the first place kym – no
9 Kim Wilde Love In The Natural Way Nah
10 Paula Abdul Straight Up Straight up? No
11 Madonna Like A Prayer No but it’s on my Immaculate Collection CD
12 Bobby Brown Don’t Be Cruel Sorry Bobby but I am cruel – this was horrible – no

Disclaimer

OK – here’s the thing – the TOTP episodes are only available on iPlayer for a limited amount of time so the link to the programme below only works for about another month so you’ll have to work fast if you want to catch the whole show.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000f8x9/top-of-the-pops-23031989

I make no claim to the rights of this show and all ownership and contents including logos and graphics belongs totally to the BBC or copyright holder(s).

All opinions on the music and artists featured are my own. Sorry if you don’t agree.

Some bed time reading?

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http://likepunkneverhappened.blogspot.com/2019/03/march-22-april-4-1989.html

TOTP 25 FEB 1988

Posted on by 80stastic

After last week’s presenter debut for Nicky Campbell we have another one straight away as Mark Goodier makes his TOTP bow. As he’s the newbie they’ve paired him up with the very experienced but rarely seen by this point Peter Powell. Goodier is taking it all very seriously by donning a suit (he must have been stifling under those studio lights) which looks more appropriate for a wedding than presenting a pop music show.

Opening tonight are The Primitives with “Crash”. Yes it wasn’t all samples and house music in 1988 – there was still some indie music going on. Fronted by the ridiculously named Tracy Tracy, they were briefly the darlings of the indie pop world when the high-octaned speedster of a tune that was “Crash” took them from inkie music mag credibility to the Top 5. And it is a tune! After the initial jangly guitar intro, it goes full throttle and hell for leather to its conclusion.

Around this time, the band came to Sunderland Poly where I was studying to play a gig and I went along to cover it for the student newspaper. I can’t recall too much about it but I did manage to get some photos of the band in action (alongside the backs of many people’s heads in the audience). I’d managed to borrow a copy of their previous single “Thru The Flowers” from the Poly radio station to review as a build up to the gig but I don’t think I ever even played it as it was on vinyl and I didn’t have turntable at the time.

Later in the year, their nemesis Transvision Vamp would clean up in the charts with sexually confrontational  lead singer Wendy James becoming the media’s favourite go to source for a controversial quote. They would also be challenged for their own position as No 1 indie pop band fronted by a woman when The Darling Buds garnered some chart success but my Darling Buds story is for a future post.

Oh Christ! It’s Morrissey! He’s become such an objectionable figure in his old age that even his die hard fans are struggling to defend his far right views. Back in 1988 though, things looked much more encouraging for Mozza. “Suedehead” was his first solo material since the split of The Smiths and it sounded pretty good to me on first hearing and I wasn’t the biggest fan of his former band by any means. It charted higher than any Smiths single ever had and the NME described it as ‘The best No. 1 ’88 never gave us’ in their review of the year.

The video sees Morrissey indulging his passion for the actor James Dean by mooching around Dean’s hometown of Fairmount, Indiana. In fact the promo is littered with homages to Dean but Morrissey recreating the image of his idol playing bongos in a field of cows is just a bit too much for me.

About three years ago, I aw Morrissey live for the first time ever and he opened the show with “Suedehead” and I suddenly realised that I had forgotten how good a song it is. Shame he’s such a twat these days.

Due to its progress up the UK Top 40, Vanessa Paradis has flown into the country to appear on TOTP in person this week. She’s got three sax players up there with her on stage two of which are playing it for laughs with their jaunty choreographed dance steps. The third one is playing it straight though and moves very little throughout. I wonder if this was how they rehearsed it or were they all meant to do the little dance and the third guy said “Nah, fuck that” at the last minute.

Paradis is now 46 but “Joe Le Taxi” is still what she is mostly remembered for in this country I would guess. I’m glad nothing I did at 14 defined me as much but then even this awful track is way cooler than the nerd I was at that age.

Four Breakers this week and we start off with that fella Rick Astley who is back with his fourth single “Together Forever”. The video is nothing special but if it looks familiar it’s because it was featured on TOTP the other week when Gary Davies visited the set to present Astley with his BPI award for ‘Best Single of the Year’. Why didn’t he get it on the night of the awards? A late running schedule meant that he was bumped so that The Who could perform on stage. There was a bit of a furore in the press in the aftermath with Rick being reported as being so upset that he was seen leaving the night in tears! He denied it of course in an interview with Smash Hits magazine.

As for the song itself, identified by Stock, Aitken and Waterman as one of the album’s strongest tracks (by which I mean infernally catchy), it was deliberately held back from being released as the follow up to “Never Gonna Give You Up” so that it could give the album an extra sales stimulus later in its shelf life when it might be flagging. Like them or loathe them, SAW knew the strengths of their own songs and “Together Forever” was  duly a No 2 hit in the UK and a No 1 in the US.

This next video is epic in the true sense of the word. It cost £50,000 to make and was four and a half months in the planning of the logistics of getting fifteen people and masses of camera, sound and lighting equipment to the ancient city of Petra in the Jordanian desert. Throw in some horses, camels, Bedouins and a Jordanian air force helicopter and Bob’s your uncle. “Dominion” was the follow up single to The Sisters Of Mercy‘s last hit “This Corrosion” and was cut very much from the same cloth. Bombastic and with that huge cathedral of sound it was …well…epic and so needed an epic looking video to go with it I guess. Was all that time, effort and money that went into the video really worth it to secure a No 13 hit? I’m not so sure but I did quite like the song and this more commercial version of the band

One of my earliest musical memories is listening to my Dad’s Eddie Cochran greatest hits LP. I loved that record and still love Eddie’s music to this day. I do recall the advert that it featured in as it was the latest Levi’s one but I didn’t realise that “C’Mon Everybody” made it back into the charts on the back of it but it’s no surprise given the midas touch that any song featured in those campaigns was bestowed with around this time.

Eddie died in a car crash aged just 21 in 1960 and I feel that he doesn’t always get talked about in the same revered tones as that other great 50s star Buddy Holly who also died tragically young in a plane crash. He wasn’t just a good looking rock star, he was also an innovator in terms of musical techniques experimenting with overdubbing and multi track recording. His influence didn’t stop there though. His song “Twenty Flight Rock” was the catalyst for Paul McCartney joining John Lennon in The Quarrymen as Lennon was impressed by McCartney knowing all the words and chords. The rest as they say….

The re-release of “C’Mon Everybody” made No 14 in the charts.

This was quite an oddity. George Harrison‘s follow up to “Got My Mind Set On You” was a very retro effort, not only channeling The Beatles’ more psychedelic moments (with its inclusion of a sitar)  but also making a direct (and some may say clunky) reference to their ‘Fab Four’ moniker. To be honest, I always found “When We Was Fab” a little lightweight albeit not without a modicum of charm.

The Godley and Creme directed video is quirkily curious but it does feel the need to ram the Beatles references down the viewers throats with cameos from Ringo and a left handed walrus bassist.

“When We Was Fab” peaked at No 25 on the UK Top 40. A third single released from the “Cloud Nine” album called “This Is Love” flopped at a lowly No 55 but its place as a footnote in musical history is assured by  virtue of the fact that its original B-side was going to be a track called ‘Handle With Care”. Warner Records thought it was too good  to be thrown a way in such a manner and kept it back. The rest as they (still) say (again)….

Two repeat studio performances are up next. The Mission were only on the other week but here they are again with “Tower Of Strength” and in the same week when former bandmates The Sisters Of Mercy are on as well. The indie gods of synchronicity clearly at work here. In 2013, lead singer Wayne Hussey described the song thus:

“It’s big. It’s pompous. It’s grandiose. It’s melodramatic.” which pretty much nails it for me (although Peter Powell prefers to call it ‘pure class’). It’s been likened to “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin but that’s probably a lazy comparison based on the fact that the track and the album were produced by Led Zep’s bassist John Paul Jones.

Did I like it? Not that much at the time but I can appreciate its epic sound more listening to it today. Apparently Gary Numan can as well as he is on record as saying he wished he’d written it because of its song structure. Myself and Numan will never come even close to being in the same ball park about anything ever again.

The second song we have seen before is Eddy Grant with “Gimme Hope Jo’Anna” – the record that saw my mate Robin accuse me of being a racist back in 1988 when I said I didn’t like it that much. Peter Powell liked it though describing it as a ‘quite wonderful track’. Even as late as 1988, Pete was still doing that weird intonation thing of his that he’d being doing the whole of the decade as he introduces it as “Gimme Hope (pause)  Jo’Anna”. For the record, it didn’t go Top 3 as Powell hoped but peaked at No 7.

Although most of us could only name three Eddy Grant songs (“I Don’t Wanna Dance” and “Electric Avenue” being the other two I’m guessing), Eddy has actually recorded fifteen studio albums during his lengthy career.

Here’s the Top 10…

10. Coldcut featuring Yazz and the Plastic Population – “Doctorin’ The House”

9. Rick Astley – “Together Forever”

8. Eddy Grant – “Gimme Hope Jo’Anna”

7. Jermaine Stewart – “Say It Again”

6. Morrissey – “Suedehead”

5. Tiffany – “I Think We’re Alone Now”

4. Taylor Dayne – “Tell It To My Heart”

3. Billy Ocean- “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car”

2. Bomb The Bass – “Beat Dis”

1. Kylie Minogue – “I Should Be So Lucky”: After last week’s specially recorded video we get the official promo this time with Kylie cast as a ‘girl-next-door’ character. So quite how many different Kylies have there been? Well, I can think of the original wholesome pop puppet one here, there’s disco Kylie (“Better The Devil You Know” etc), dance Kylie (“Confide In Me”), indie Kylie (“Some Kind Of Bliss”), sex Kylie (“Spinning Around” and those hotpants etc) , country Kylie (“Golden” album”) and of course national treasure Kylie (this year’s Glastonbury legends slot).

The play out video is The Bangles with “Hazy Shade Of Winter”.  It was featured on the soundtrack to the film Less Than Zero starring Andrew McCarthy who was one of cinema’s biggest young stars at this point on the back of hits like St Elmo’s Fire, Pretty In Pink and Mannequin. I’ve never seen it but it’s based on a Brett Easton Ellis book and given that the only book of his I’ve read before is American Psycho, I might tread carefully.

As for the song itself, writers Simon & Garfunkel performed it in 2003 at their Old Friends concert at Madison Square Garden and it was more in the style of The Bangles than the original I would say…

As for The Bangles, they had one more enormous hit in them which would arrive in 1989. A post for another day…

 

Order of appearance Artist Song Did I Buy it?

1

 The Primitives Crash Surely I bought this? Where’s my copy then?

2

 Morrissey Suedehead Liked it but didn’t get around to buying it

3

 Vanessa Paradis Joe Le Taxi No – far too creepy

4

 Rick Astley Together Forever Credibility suicide? No thanks

5

 The Sisters Of Mercy Dominion No – wasn’t quite goth enough

6

 Eddie Cochran C’Mon Everybody Not this re-issue but I now have my own copy of Dad’s best of album

7

 George Harrison When We Was Fab No but my housemate Roy had the album

8

 The Mission Tower Of Strength No but the aforementioned Robin got it on their Greatest Hits CD for a fiver in York!

9

 Eddie Grant Gimme Hope Jo’Anna Nope and I got some abuse for not doing so form my mate Robin

10

 Kylie Minogue I Should Be So Lucky Nope

11

 The Bangles Hazy Shade Of Winter Not the 7” but its on my Best Of CD of theirs

Disclaimer

OK – here’s the thing – the TOTP episodes are only available on iPlayer for a limited amount of time so the link to the programme below only works for about another month so you’ll have to work fast if you want to catch the whole show as I can’t find the full programme on YouTube.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0006rh6/top-of-the-pops-25021988

I make no claim to the rights of this show and all ownership and contents including logos and graphics belongs totally to the BBC or copyright holder(s).

All opinions on the music and artists featured are my own. Sorry if you don’t agree.

Some bed time reading?

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http://likepunkneverhappened.blogspot.com/2018/02/february-24-march-8-1988.html